Jim Kalafat

Jim Kalafat (also known as Jim Starr) is an American athlete, actor, and producer. Under the stage name Laser, he competed as a gladiator on the American TV show American Gladiators from 1989 to 1996.

Early life and education
Kalafat was born in Great Falls, Montana, on February 21, 1962. He graduated from CM Russell High School. In 1986, he graduated from Montana State University, with a bachelor's degree in Physical Education and health K-12, with a minor in nutrition.

Football
Kalafat was an all-state running back in 1979. In 1980, he was recruited to play in the offensive backfield at the Bobcats' of Montana State; however, in 1982, he was moved to linebacker. He held the Bobcats' top two single-season tackles marks. Kalafat also has MSU's single-game record of 30 tackles (against Nevada in 1983), as well as games of 29, 28, and 26 tackles, and ranks fifth in program history in career tackles (380). In 1984, Jim started his career in professional football in the National Football League (NFL), and later spent time in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1984, played one game for the Toronto Argonauts in 1985, and had a one-game stint as a replacement player for the Los Angeles Rams in 1987.

Kalafat had a career-ending injury in 1987.

American Gladiator
In 1989, he was selected as 'Laser' in the American television series, American Gladiators''. He remained in the show for all seasons, till 1996, when the show ended.

Corporate
In 2000, he entered the corporate world by joining Apex Fitness Group, as the Brand Manager. In 2008, he became Vice President at dotFIT, LLC. In May 2013, he founded Sports Nutrition Consulting Group and remains its president.

In 2015, he started to work at Life Time Fitness, as the Director of Nutritional Products. In 2018, he switched to ProForm Laboratories as an Account Service Specialist. He became the Director of Product Development at The Grind, in 2020. In 2021, he started his work at Opsis Health, as Wellness Executive.

Films
In 1989, he acted in two movies: Deadly Breed and Road House.

Documentary
He was featured in a five-part documentary series on Netflix, titled Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators.

Awards and achievements

 * Kalafat held the single-game and single-season tackle records at Montana State University, in 1983.
 * In 1986, earned the bodybuilding title of Mr. Montana.
 * In 2023, he was nominated and selected to the CMR Legends Hall of Fame.